From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Wed Jan 31 2001 - 09:40:42 EST
Kyrgyz security chiefs give economic crime figures
Excerpt from report by the Kyrgyz newspaper Vecherniy Bishkek web site on 24
January
[Newspaper headline] Bust the mafiosos
[Introduction in bold type] "Economic crime has become a systemic phenomenon
in the country," the deputy chairman of Kyrgyzstan's National Security
Service [NSS], Miroslav Niyazov, told the Kabar news agency yesterday [23
January].
Greedy officials carefully think through their plans to commit crimes and,
most lamentable of all, establish close links with "like-minded people" in
the near and far abroad [CIS and other countries]. But there is a legal
vacuum between the special services which makes it more difficult to combat
"white-collar" organized crime groups.
Nevertheless, the deputy NSS head continued, the cases of direct
embezzlement of budget funds our officers uncovered last year alone
totalled 200m soms [1 US dollar equals around 49 soms]. Twenty-five people
were made to answer for their crimes in criminal courts and another 11 will
soon be brought to book. We have also established that about 155 tonnes of
oil products were smuggled into the republic in 1997-1998. Those guilty of
these offences will also get the punishment they deserve.
Thanks to skillful work by Kyrgyz security service officers, a number of
businessmen and officials in Russia who entered into a criminal alliance
with our corrupt officials have been convicted.
[Passage omitted: restructuring the security service was necessary; Niyazov
does not rule out the possibility of armed incursions into Kyrgyzstan this
year and acts of sabotage aimed at destabilizing the country]
The head of the main investigation department of the republic's Internal
Affairs Ministry, M. Turdugulov, who took the floor next, said: "A total of
2,287 economic crimes were committed last year, causing losses amounting to
745m soms. However, we were able to return only just over 10 per cent of
what was stolen."
On the case of Shalkhar Dzhaysanbayev [former managing director of the
Kyrgyzgazmunayzat state oil and gas company accused of stealing 18.5m
dollars], Turdugulov said that the businessman had been placed on the
international wanted list and that his accomplices were currently being
tried in the Leninsk District court [in Bishkek].
Source: Vecherniy Bishkek web site, Bishkek, in Russian 0000 gmt 24 Jan 01
BBC Mon CAU 300101/** pm/dg
CAU-KYRGYZ-DEBT
Kyrgyz foreign debt totals 1.2m dollars in 2000
Text of report by the Kyrgyz news agency Kabar
Bishkek, 30 January: Kyrgyzstan's state foreign debt totalled 1.1933bn
dollars at the end of September 2000, the chairman of the National Bank of
Kyrgyzstan, Ulan Sarbanov, told the Kabar news agency.
Sarbanov said that Kyrgyzstan fully serviced its foreign debt in 2000, with
the exception of debts to such countries as Russia and Turkey and also one
or two small projects related to the programme of state investments.
Concerning the issue of debt repayment, Sarbanov said that the Turkish
treasury had sent an official letter saying that there was a possibility
that specific demands for the repayment of the debt would not be made in
2000.
Sarbanov said that Russia was also ready to restructure the Kyrgyz foreign
debt and, what is more, had appealed to other countries to act in a similar
way towards Kyrgyzstan.
Nevertheless, the Kyrgyz government intends to start studying the question
of further repayment of foreign debts in 2001.
Source: Kabar news agency, Bishkek, in Russian 0723 gmt 30 Jan 01
BBC Mon CAU 310101/** pm/mk
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